Sclerolaena Napiformis
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National Recovery Plan for the Turnip Copperburr Sclerolaena napiformis Jaimie Mavromihalis Prepared by Jamie Mavromihalis, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria. Published by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) Melbourne, July 2010. © State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2010 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. ISBN 978-1-74208-971-3 This is a Recovery Plan prepared under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, with the assistance of funding provided by the Australian Government. This Recovery Plan has been developed with the involvement and cooperation of a range of stakeholders, but individual stakeholders have not necessarily committed to undertaking specific actions. The attainment of objectives and the provision of funds may be subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved. Proposed actions may be subject to modification over the life of the plan due to changes in knowledge. Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence that may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. An electronic version of this document is available on the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website www.environment.gov.au For more information contact the DSE Customer Service Centre telephone 136 186 Citation: Mavromihalis, J. 2010. National Recovery Plan for the Turnip Copperburr Sclerolaena napiformis. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne. Cover photograph: Turnip Copperburr Sclerolaena napiformis; plant and fruit, by Ben Thomas 1 Contents ISBN 978-1-74208-971-3................................................................................... 1 Summary........................................................................................................... 3 Species Information......................................................................................... 3 Description .................................................................................................................................... 3 Distribution .................................................................................................................................... 3 Habitat ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Population Information .................................................................................................................. 4 Decline and Threats ......................................................................................... 8 Recovery Information ...................................................................................... 8 Existing Conservation Measures................................................................................................... 8 Recovery Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 9 Program Implementation and Evaluation...................................................................................... 9 Recovery Actions and Performance Criteria............................................................................... 10 Affected Interests ........................................................................................................................ 13 Role and Interests of Indigenous People .................................................................................... 13 Biodiversity Benefits.................................................................................................................... 13 Social and Economic Impacts .....................................................................................................13 Management Practices .................................................................................. 13 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... 14 References...................................................................................................... 14 Priority, Feasibility and Estimated Costs of Recovery Actions ................. 15 Figure 1. Distribution of Turnip Copperburr................................................................................. 4 Table 1. Population and threat information for the Turnip Copperburr........................................ 5 2 Summary The Turnip Copperburr Sclerolaena napiformis is small perennial chenopod shrub endemic to south-eastern Australia. The species occurs in New South Wales and Victoria, growing on inland plains in native grasslands and grassy woodlands on clay-loam soils. A total of 25 sites with perhaps 30,000 plants have been recorded. Many populations are in decline and several may have become extinct in recent years. Most of its habitat has been cleared for agriculture, and remaining populations are mostly small and isolated, and at risk from a variety of threats including weed invasion, grazing and road works. The Turnip Copperburr is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This national Recovery Plan for the Turnip Copperburr is the first recovery plan for the species, and details the species' distribution and biology, conservation status, threats, and recovery objectives and actions necessary to ensure its long-term survival. Species Information Description The Turnip Copperburr Sclerolaena napiformis is a small, procumbent to erect perennial shrub growing to 30 cm tall, belonging to the saltbush family Chenopodiaceae. It has slender branches sparsely covered in short erect or curled hairs and linear to narrowly obovate leaves 5–15 mm long, covered with appressed hairs. Flowers are green, tiny, solitary and occur in the leaf axils. Fruits have 5–6 spines and are sparsely to moderately pubescent. Flowers and fruits occur from November to May (description from Wilson1984). Little is known of the biology and ecology of the Turnip Copperburr. Plants apparently become senescent in autumn, dying back to a thick taproot in the autumn and winter, and shoot again in late spring. Rupture of the fruit wall may be required to break dormancy, with almost 100% germination occurring when seeds were removed from the dispersal unit, but almost no germination when dispersal units were not removed (Carta 1999). Viability of seed remained high (80%) after two years of storage (Carta 1999), suggesting that seed may remain viable in the soil during unfavourable conditions (e.g. drought), with germination potentially occurring when sufficient moisture becomes available. Plants can reach maturity and flower within six months (Carta 1999). The Turnip Copperburr is often observed growing around ant nests. Several ant species consume the fleshy pad located at the base of some fruiting bodies and discard the fruit and seed outside the nest (Davidson & Morton 1981). The Turnip Copperburr also has a fleshy pad located on the underside of the fruit (Carta 1999), so ants may be involved in dispersal of its seeds. Distribution The Turnip Copperburr is apparently restricted to inland south-eastern Australia, where it occurs in the Riverina and Murray-Darling Depression IBRA bioregions (sensu DEH 2000) of New South Wales and Victoria (Figure 1). Maps showing the distribution of the Turnip Copperburr are available from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (for Victoria) and from the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (for NSW). Habitat The Turnip Copperburr grows in native grasslands and grassy woodlands on relatively fertile clay-loam soils. In Victoria the species grows on red clay to red loam soils, and associated species include Common Wallaby-grass Austrodanthonia caespitosa, Rough Spear-Grass Austrostipa scabra, Spurred Spear-Grass Austrostipa gibbosa, Common Everlasting Chrysocephalum apiculatum sens.lat., various bluebush Maireana species and Buloke Allocasuarina luehmannii. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Turnip Copperburr can tolerate waterlogging in the spring, and all remaining populations are located in close vicinity to a water course or swamp (Cook 1997; Alexander 2002). 3 In NSW, the species occurs in Knotty Spear-Grass Austrostipa nodosa and Windmill Grass Chloris truncata tussock grasslands on grey to red-brown cracking clays and clay loams. Other common species in these habitats include wallaby-grasses Austrodanthonia species, Spider Grass Enteropogon acicularis, Paper Sunray Rhodanthe corymbiflora, several Swainson-peas Swainsona species and several chenopod species. Vegetation structure may play an important role in the location of populations, with the species apparently absent from sites dominated by thick swards of grass. Actions in this Recovery Plan include survey of actual and potential habitat that will lead to the identification of habitat critical to the survival of the species. Figure 1. Distribution of Turnip Copperburr Population